Debating use of Tasers

Christopher Schmidt and the New York ACLU Capital Region Chapter acquired city police reports of 94 people hit 150 times by Tasers in five years ending last August. Schmidt says the records prove that police used Tasers unnecessarily. He is circulating a petition to suspend their use, or to allow officers to use them only when they are threatened by deadly force. He says shooting the weapon, which delivers electrical shocks through wiring from more than 20 feet away, is unconstitutional because it amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.

44 Responses

Lets see either the police shoot and kill someone (which is wrong) or the taser someone and than person is still alive. I think the taser is a safer more effective means to deal with people at a distance. I have been witness to incidents when the P.D. in my area could have used a taser but elected not to. The numbers that are used in this article show that it is minor amount of people that are having it used against them. I wonder how many lives the taser has saved? Where are those numbers? Police officers that are certified to use the taser, to the best of my limited knowledege, endure a taser shot before they can be certified.

The only way we can possibly allow our public servants to carry and/or use a taser (or similar device) is if we have mandatory severe penalties if there use is abused and that must involve clear language as to what situations justify it and which ones do not.

I know of a local case where the cop used it and then later lied under oath and said the person fell. The cop had no legal grounds as the person was not under arrest, in the first place.

Let’s face it, some cops are incapable of having such power and in those cases, they must never be allowed to have it.

So a punk kid who has been arrested multiple times has a problem with law enforcement procedures…. Hard to imagine.
Guessing the signatures on his petition were obtained at the county jail. Here is a suggestion for Christopher; Stay out of trouble, follow the law and you won’t have to worry about tasers.

I would rather be tased then shot.. People had a fit when the officers had billy clubs, guns, officers need something to keep themselves safe against the craziest of them all.. LET THEM DO THEIR JOB and let it go.. They need to keep your saftey as well as their own saftey at mind…..Everyone always is first to complain about an officer and their duty however when they are needed no one complains then.. AGAIN let them do what they get paid to do and keep our streets safe.. This kid is making a petition on something he never even had done to him.. I mean come on now can we say ATTENTION PLEASE.

it isnt being used on people with weapons though, there is a flaw in the policy allowing free use on anybody for any reason even being verbally non-compliant. It has been known to kill near 500 people.
The policy should read only a option during deadly force, otherwise we do not need ELECTRONIC CONTROL DEVICES.

Power To The People. Power To The Individual.

By the way when I was arrested for holding up the sign I was cleared of all charges due to the arrest being illegal on Constitutional Grounds. We must check the law.

People need to get real. The number of police officers who abuse their power pale in comparison to the number of officers who don’t. Believe it or not, it’s a fact that a high percentage of police officers don’t even resort to lethal force.

Anyone see the video of the 17 year Phillie fan being tasered for running on to the baseball field waving a handkerchief? When hit, he fell face to the ground and he might have been seriously hurt or suffered facial scars. It was very obvious that the security guard used this unnecessay force.
This is the problem: There will always be police who will abuse this weapon. Much more regulation of its use must be demanded and proper penalties for the abusers. How many parents would say OK to their kids being tasered for some minor prank?

I bet some of these hardass supporters of unrestricted use of this weapon would be the first to sue if they or their family get tazed!

Tasers are a very effective and should be a part of the law enforcement tool kit. I’d rather see 94 people a year get the taser than shot or otherwise injured in a fight with police. At least we’re not still using the old arm bar and choke hold on combative subjects. In the story-I think the one officer with a high usage history should be re-trained or assigned to a non-patrol duty. With such a high rate of use, this person is always in the wrong place at the wrong time or has lost the ability to calmly approach and control a situation. I think anyone who opposes the taser should have to undergo two tests. First is an actual tasing and second 10 hard strikes with a baton and see which you’d rather have used if had a choice.

I was at a military/law enforcement expo and Taser was there showing their equipment, tasing people who volunteered, I went ahead and tried it out. It is five seconds of intense pain, with it being very difficult to move without the pain increasing. I can now honestly say that if someone ever gets up after being tased or while being tased (and it does happen), the officer should just shoot the suspect because they are probably on drugs or crazy and will cause bodily injury to that officer. To those of you who feel the officer is in the wrong when using a Taser, you should start going to police officer funerals and watching the on dash display of policemen and women being attacked.

When a police officer feels his/her life is in danger their gun should be used, not a Taser! The aclu, utilizing Schmidt, want to ban the Taser, to place our police be at the mercy of violent criminals. The taser is extremely effective when confronting the violent thugs so prevelent in society.

I DEFINITELY think police tazer people when it is not required. I even saw on TV where a man was tazed for continuing to ride a lawn mower when ordered to stop. I doubt if the guy on the mower could even hear the command to stop. He was NOT threatening the policeman. They should not be used…I think a policemen would not use a gun in the same situation. I think tazers use should stop!!!

Tazer’s are an effective tool in an officers tool box. They are safer for all involved as it does not open an officer up to the risk of injury that going hands on does. Ask anyone that has been tazed (officers that carry them have) and pepper sprayed (officers that carry pepper spray have been sprayed) and almost unanimously they will tell you they would rather be tazed as when it is over, it is over. Pepper lingers for hours and a psychotic individual can easily fight through pepper. For those that say they should only be used when the suspect is armed… that’s dumb. If an officer is dealing with an armed suspect, they are authorized deadly force. It would be unsafe for an officer to use his tazer against an armed suspect. For those of you that feel tazers are deadly, check your facts. Although there have been reported cases of taser related deaths, almost all have other primary factors (health conditions, drug conditions, etc). The simple fact is, if you don’t want to get tased, don’t break the law. If you do break the law, don’t resist arrest.

#9… As for the Phillie fan – that was not “a minor prank”. He was charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and defiant trespass. How about staying in your seat ?? This “hardass” supporter will not have to sue as I and my family choose not to participate in minor pranks or any other unlawful acts for that matter. Respect the law and you don’t get tased. Pretty simple.

An officer should have an alternative to using deadly force on a violent or threatening suspect.
What disturbs me though is the kind of officer who seems to use his tazer a little too much…like the one stated in the article.

He is one who sounds like if he didn’t have this “weapon”, he would be going for his gun. The public doesn’t need someone who is either not properly trained in physically subduing suspects…a poor judge of alternative ways to end a situation… or fat,lazy and stupid.
Retraining, and a mental evaluation should be done to see if this public official should have the honor of being able to protect the people who have given him a career that he chose to be in.

#15–Take another look at that Phillie video of the kid being tazed. Would you have done what that security guard did, especially since there were several othert men running along side of him ready to tackle him? This guard was EAGER to use his taser gun! Again, my quarrel is with ABUSIVE use of this weapon. We still live in a country where we want our authorities to be reasonable and regulated. Or don’t you agree since you seem to suggest your youngsters are beyound EVER acting foolishly. (Good Luck!)

I think allowing the police to use Tasers is an unfair advantage. The Police should take into account the racial and socio-economic background of the criminal and then only use polite language to discourage them from their actions. This is the only way we can arrive at a state of nirvana. Kudos to the ACLU for continuing to defend us from logic and common sense.

Just another case of an adolescent hiding behind his mothers skirt. Stop whining, take the test and see what being an officer is all about. Can’t handle it? Don’t judge until you have the knowledge and actual experience to back it up. Lets see your little physique try to subdue an intoxicated, mencing 250 lb individual. Or you can just jump on your cell and text the ACLU to come rescue you.

Tasers should be banned. They are obviously routinely abused by bully cops who use them in lieu of effective communication technques and basic martial arts skills. Tasing that kid at the Phillies game was a monstrous and cowardly act. The kid was just pulling a prank. In 60 seconds it was over, big deal. That cop should be fired. Was his life being threatened? Was anyone elses? Yeah, that’s what I thought. I don’t think this protester is “hiding behind his mother’s skirt” as one of the posters here said. He’s exercising his right as an American. Aren’t we past the days when people who exercised their first amendmnent rigths were considered “un-American”? Cops in this country have gotten way too full of themselves, this is more of a police state than ever. They are supposed to enforce the law, not intimidate citizens. What’s next, are we supposed to kowtow and tip our hats to every donut-eating cop? No way man.

So, we want to outlaw the non-lethal taser as “unconstitutional”, which would leave officers with only their semi-automatic pistols…SMART!

The ACLU has morphed into a cartoonish organization that supports absurd causes. Maybe if they were just a LITTLE selective with respect to what they’re willing to defend, we wouldn’t immediately dismiss causes as being silly and frivolous.

I feel that the ACLU is attempting to violate my right to the pursuit of happiness, because their request would limit those who are sworn to protect my rights (police agencies) from doing their job.

So 94 people have been Tasered over 5 years and that is over zealous? That is less then 20 people a year. Give me a break. Tasers are on the same level as Pepper Spray (O.C) and batons. They are less then lethal, not non lethal. People have died after exposure to OC also. Was it the OC that killed them? No, it is a natural food product, unless they are allergic to hot peppers. There are other issues, like positional asphyxia, or not being able to breathe due to exposure and being handcuffed and left in an awkward position, like face down. I am a LEO and I have been OCed and it sucks. It lasts for hours. Then you take a shower at the end of the day and you re-contaminate yourself. Lots of fun. By the end of next month we should start carrying batons. They are considered impact weapons. They leave marks, bruises can even break bones. The Taser is good out to about 21 feet. The reason that number is important is because that is the distance an average person can cover in the time it takes for an officer to draw and fire his weapon. Now a Taser is a one shot deal. After that you have to change out the cartage.
Now on to the idea that an officer should only use a Taser in a lethal force situation. The person that came up with that idea, in my opinion wants dead officers. If you have a Taser and a gun, and the bad guy has a handgun, why would you Taser him or her? They are trying to kill you. You do not use a less then lethal item when lethal force is call for. That is suicidal on part of the officer.
I also like the whole idea that use of Tasers have caused officer to loose their ability to “negotiate”. Who are we negotiating with? The person that is breaking the law? How many times is enough to tell the individual to stop what they are doing? If the officer asks you to stop, then stop. I had a drill sergeant tell me a long time ago in Basic training, “If your going to be stupid, you got to be tough.”. The same can be said here. If you do not want to follow the directions of the officer, trooper, deputy or constable, there will be consequences.
AS to the Phillys game. People think that it was unfair what happend to the fan. How about you ask Monica Seles about what a fan can do?
Finally no, I do not carry a Taser.

2 thumbs up to tasers. I did see the Phillies video and the taser was appropriate. He was told to stop running by police and refused to comply with an incredibly reasonable order. Ask Monica Seles or KC Royals coach Tom Gamboa if police should use tasers on “fans” who run onto the field of play.

I want my rights protected and I have the right to a reasonable amount of safety. I want my police to have all of the reasonable tools (tasers very much included) to protect my rights. As a citizen who minds his own business, I should have more rights than someone who breaks the law.

Get real hit the nail on the head… but to go further, the number of police officers who abuse their power ABSOLUTELY pales in comparison to the number of CITIZENS who disobey the law.

If you jump out on the field in a professional sport, you deserve to get tasered. If you fight with cops you deserve it, if you run from cops you deserve it. If you’re drunken disorderly you deserve it,
and if you voted for Obama you PROBABLY deserve it too, hahahah :o)